MCSE in a Nutshell: The Windows 2000 Exams

If you don't know what you're doing, this is not a book for you--the Nutshell series expects you to have at least a working knowledge of things, and preferably an intermediate to advanced knowledge of them. MCSE in a Nutshell IS a good book because it allows the advanced user to do a quick study of the topics they're familiar with, and use alternate learning materials for the areas in which they are not. It is also excellent for giving you a quick idea of how much or how little you know. It's my favorite book on the subject because it's concise, contains good information, and tells you both what to expect in the real world, and what to expect on the tests. (As we all know that Microsoft's view of the world does not always coincide with reality.) If you buy this book, though, use it as a REFRESHER and not a teacher. I noted one or two instances where the information given would have gotten me a wrong answer on the test, because while it applied to reality, MS's view on the topic was different... But this is how it is with MOST books (including official MS documentation).

i used this book as my primary review for 070-240, the combined test for nt4 mcse's, in addition to the readiness review cd from the microsoft kit. i passed the exam.don't buy it if you're looking to learn the material; what it's useful for is if you either already know the material, and need to make sure there aren't any gaps in your knowledge, or if, like me, you need a good outline-type review of the material. it's condensed, sure... if a topic doesn't feel like you know it, you will need to reference other books to learn it. but as an overview, to make sure you know what you need to know for the exams, it's perfect.

This is a good book if you work with Win 2000 and have NT 4 test taking experience. People seem to think this book is for starting out, it is not. This book is for people who are versed in the subject and want a good summary of things to concentrate on for the test. I would give this book a 5 star but there seems to be a few leftovers from the NT 4 book. All in all it is a great book for test reference.

Buy this book if you already have substantial experience with NT4 and Windows 2000 and you need help passing the MS tests. I passed the monster 70-240 with this book. The "On the Exam" tips were especially helpful. Also, the "In the Real World" comments were very entertaining.

This book hits on the concepts necessary for a 50,000 foot view of the MCSE but lacks anything like the detail necessary to actually sit at the exam terminal. I rate it as high as I do only because I had diminished expectations of it from the start - its only a tenth the size of any other MCSE study guide, so how could it possibly cover everything? The answer is that it doesn't come close. None the less, I found its high level coverage of the subject to be extremely useful when I was completely lost in the deep details of the full coverage texts and needed a guide to show me the big picture of what was to be accomplished by those details. I would recommend getting this and read each exam topic here first before digging into the serious books that are going to get you through the exams. Other reviewers here have detailed the technical errors in the books so I won't, but they were less encumbering to me in the manner that I used the book (as a general rather than a specific reference). But be aware that there are some serious errors and I wouldn't bet the rent based on anything from this manual.